I meant to get around to doing up my own review of my car,
The MazdaSpeed6 is one of the sportier cars offered byt Mazda. Based on the Mazda 6 sedan, the speed6 packs a 2.3l 4 cylinder engine with a turbocharger system resulting in 274 HP and 280 Lbs of torque. Power is fed to a part time AWD system. This allows superier grip and allows the car to put maximum power to the ground.
Interior:
It's no lexus, and you can tell that Mazda cut some corners here, but for the price they had to cut it somwhere. The plastics are a little cheap to the feel. However everything is nicely laid out and the driving posistion is very good. Compared to some of the other hopped up sedans, the Mazda is the clear winner.
Handling:
The handling of the MazdaSpeed6 is where it really shines. It has a realitively flat cornering stance, and still maintains some comfort for your commutes. It's not a slammed wannabe race car, but it gets the job done.. very nicely
The feedback and roadfeel again is excellent. It gives you a feel of confidence unlike some of it's twitchier competition.
Transmission:
The Speed6 a 6 speed manual only. The the shifting is smooth, if a little long in the throw. The clutch however leaves much to be desiered. It takes some practice to get smooth starts down pat. There have been complaints of rough shifters, and keeping an eye on the tranny fluid usally resolves this.
Engine/Power:
The Speed6 generates some great torque at the low end, but rolls off around above 4500 RPM. Horespower lets the engine pull a little longer into the rev range. The Speed6 is capable of sub 14 second 1/4 runs.
There is lots that can be done to increase the power even more, but many will find power stock more then adequate.
Overall:
It hasn't been the most reliable car I've ever owned, I need to keep an eye on it and I'm sure to take it to the dealer when I start to notice something funny going on. But there is not much else I've driven that can give me a smile like the Speed6. It allows me to take clients out for lunch, carve the twistie back roads, lay low from the cops, and hell even throw a stoplight race in from time to time.
Mazda has come close to building a perfect car, but falls short a little on every catagory in equal amounts and frankly for the price of admission, the value as a whole really can't be beat.
When money allows, a 335i would probably be my next car, I'd give up AWD, but we're talking a big chunk of change more, and until I drive it, I won't be sure that it's even worth the extra expense.
No regrets in my purchase, and I would recommend a MazdaSpeed6 to anyone, and have.
My personal review of the MazdaSpeed6
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